Who is Zhenni Liu?
Posted by: Matt Nichols & the Commerce Ventures team
We are proud to announce that Zhenni Liu (pronounced “Jenny”) joined Commerce Ventures as the newest member of our investing team. Zhenni brings a well-balanced background from retail operations, venture capital, and strategy consulting, making her a uniquely well-matched addition to our small, but growing team.
We had a very specific goal in mind as we began our search for a Senior Associate. In addition to wanting someone smart, curious, and hard-working, we were searching for an investor with both experience in and passion for the retail industry. We evaluate retail technologies and business models every day, so we wanted someone with an informed perspective to evaluate those businesses as well as the passion to connect with the entrepreneurs who are building them.
When we met Zhenni, it was immediately clear that her passion and personality matched our ethos. We were struck by Zhenni’s talent, confidence, humility and eagerness to learn from everyone she meets. In short, we couldn’t have found a better match!
Zhenni started her career at Bain where she advised clients in retail and technology. After Bain, Zhenni joined Sephora to work on digital and Omni-channel strategy, where she was Chief of Staff for the SVP of Omnichannel Retail. What impressed us the most however, was her passion for retail. While holding a full-time corporate role at Sephora, Zhenni invested her spare time to work as a store associate at Athleta and Outdoor Voices to better understand retail at the associate level.
After two years at Sephora, Zhenni joined Peterson Partners in Utah where she focused on early stage SaaS and Digital Commerce investing. She quickly became a part of (and even helped grow) the early-stage ecosystem in Salt Lake City. The entrepreneurs that Zhenni worked with there could not have been any more effusive in their praise for Zhenni.
At Commerce Ventures, Zhenni will focus primarily on retail tech (or “Shop” on the Commerce Continuum). We are certain that the entrepreneurs we work with will love her retail expertise, analytical mind, and enthusiasm.
Please join us in welcoming Zhenni Liu, the newest member of the Commerce Ventures family!
Zhenni can be reached at zliu@commercevc.com
